1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a power toothbrush having a bristle head coupled to a drive shaft. The drive shaft, and hence the bristle head coupled thereto, undergoes rotary oscillating motion about the axis of the drive shaft. The rotary oscillating motion is provided by a stepper motor. xe2x80x9cRotary oscillating motionxe2x80x9d is sometimes referred to in the art as xe2x80x9cangular displacementxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9csweep anglexe2x80x9d.
2. Description of the Prior Art
To many people, the prevention of cavities in teeth is of utmost importance. The most common treatments for preventing cavities include brushing the teeth, flossing, and using fluoride rinses. Of these treatments, brushing the teeth is most common. Manual toothbrushes have dominated the toothbrush market for many years. Recently, power toothbrushes have increased in sales. The implication is that power toothbrushes may clean the teeth better than manual brushes.
Several varieties of power toothbrushes are sold commercially. The toothbrushes are typically powered by a motor which, in turn, is powered by a battery. In some instances, the batteries are re-chargeable. The motion of the toothbrush bristle head may vary. In a first design, the bristle head comprises a circular disk on which are mounted, generally parallel to the central axis of the disk, a plurality of bristles or bristle tufts. In one aspect of this first design, this bristle head is adapted to undergo continuous rotation about its central axis during use of the toothbrush. In a second aspect of this first design, the bristle head is adapted to undergo repeating partial rotation about its central axis, i.e., the bristle head travels a limited distance along an arc of a circle in one direction (for example, counterclockwise) after which the bristle head travels along the same arc in the opposite direction (for example, clockwise).
In a second design, the bristle head comprises a base which is generally rectangular in configuration and has a longitudinal axis. The bristle head base carries bristles or bristle tufts which are secured perpendicularly to its surface and are usually arranged in longitudinally extending rows. In a first aspect of this second design, the bristle head is adapted to undergo continuous reciprocating motion whereby the bristle head moves forward and backward alternately in a direction parallel to its longitudinal axis. In a second aspect of said second design, the bristle head is adapted to undergo oscillating motion about its longitudinal axis, i.e., the bristle head, when viewed in front end elevation, moves in a back-and-forth, arcuate path in the fashion of a pendulum. Such motion is also referred to as rotary oscillation motion.
There is a continuing effort to provide power toothbrushes that clean teeth better. The term xe2x80x9ccleaning teeth betterxe2x80x9d means cleaning the surface of the teeth better, cleaning between the teeth better, cleaning behind the teeth better, or some combination thereof.
European Patent Application 0 968 686 teaches a power toothbrush with a toothbrush head that has oscillating motion about its longitudinal axis, i.e., rotary oscillating motion. A relatively complex transmission assembly is utilized to convert the rotational movement of an output shaft of a motor into rotary oscillating motion at the bristle head of the toothbrush.
It would be advantageous to have a power toothbrush having a bristle head which undergoes rotary oscillating motion, which said oscillating motion is provided by either a simplified transmission assembly or with no transmission assembly at all.
The present invention provides a power toothbrush comprising:
an elongate body defining a handle and having an interior cavity formed therein, said elongate body having a distal end and a proximal end;
an elongate housing having a proximal end and a distal end, said housing including a plurality of bristles at its distal end;
a stepper motor disposed within the interior cavity of the elongate body, said stepper motor including an output shaft providing rotary oscillating motion; and
means for operatively connecting said elongate housing to the output shaft of said stepper motor.
In one embodiment of the present invention, the end portion of the output shaft of the stepper motor has a rectangular cross-section and the elongate housing comprises a matching rectangular slot at its end. The elongate housing and the stepper motor output shaft are operatively connected by inserting the output shaft having the rectangular cross-section into the rectangular slot of the elongate housing. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that other cross-sectional configurations could be employed. For example, the output shaft could be triangular in configuration and the elongate body would have a triangular slot at its distal end to receive the triangularly shaped stepper motor output shaft in operative engagement.
In a second embodiment of the present invention, the output shaft of the stepper motor is connected, by a coupling mechanism, to a connector shaft which extends beyond the distal end of the elongate body. The connector shaft in turn is secured to the elongate housing comprising the toothbrush bristle arrangement. In use, the rotary oscillating motion of the output shaft of the stepper motor is transmitted, via the coupling mechanism, to the elongate housing comprising the aforementioned toothbrush bristle arrangement whereby the bristle arrangement undergoes the same rotary oscillating motion as the output shaft of the stepper motor.
In each of the aforementioned embodiments, the stepper motor may be controlled by electronic controller means which regulates the motion of the output shaft of the aforementioned stepper motor. In other words, the electronic controller means is operatively connected to the stepper motor and controls that motor in such fashion that the output shaft thereof is provided with the desired rotary oscillating motion.
The power toothbrushes of the present invention may further include means for insuring that the desired rotary oscillating motion, i.e., sweep angle, of the stepper motor output shaft is achieved at start-up or is maintained or restored in the event excessive force is applied to the toothbrush during use.
The power toothbrushes of the present invention comprise an elongate body having a proximal end and a distal end. The elongate body defines a handle portion for gripping the power toothbrush and has an interior cavity formed therein which extends from its proximal end to its distal end. The elongate body may be made of any material suitable for power toothbrush bodies. Such materials include, but are not limited to, polyolefins, such as polyethylene and polypropylene; polycarbonate; polyurethanes; polyesters such as polyethylene terephthalate, polybutylene terephthalate, and polycaprolactone; polyamides, such as nylon 6 and nylon 12; cellulose acetate propionate; styrene acrylonitrile copolymers; alkyl benzyl styrene copolymers; and the like. The elongate body may be made by any process known in the art, such as injection molding, machine forming, and stamping. Injection molding is particularly useful.
As indicated earlier herein, the elongate body defines a handle and has an interior cavity formed therein. The interior cavity holds a source of energy for the motor, such as a battery. Solar cells or fuel cells may also be utilized as energy sources. Any conventional battery may be utilized as the energy source. The battery may be re-chargeable. The battery may be re-charged by removing the battery from the toothbrush and connecting the battery to a re-charging station, as is known in the art. Alternatively, the battery may be left in the toothbrush and the toothbrush placed in a suitable re-charging station for recharging of the battery.
An elongate housing having a proximal end and a distal end is operatively connected to the output shaft of the stepper motor and includes a toothbrush bristle head at the distal end thereof. The elongate housing may be designed to provide the power toothbrush with a neck portion which is angled. If an angled neck portion is provided, the angle of the toothbrush neck may range from about 5xc2x0 to about 20xc2x0, preferably from about 12xc2x0 to about 20xc2x0. The toothbrush bristle head may be detachably connected or permanently connected to the elongate body. Mechanisms for detachably or permanently attaching toothbrush heads to elongate bodies are well known in the art. The elongate housing and toothbrush head may be made of the same materials and by the same processes as those used to make the elongate body.
In embodiments of the present invention which comprise a connector shaft operatively connected at its proximal end to the output shaft of the stepper motor and at its distal end to the elongate housing comprising the toothbrush bristle head, the connector shaft may be made of any suitable material, such as, but not limited to, the materials described above for the elongate body, or metals, such as stainless steel and the like.
The connector shaft may be operatively connected to the elongate housing carrying the toothbrush bristle head and to the output shaft of the stepper motor by any suitable coupling means known in the art. Such coupling means include, but are not limited to, rubber tubing, a flexible angular misalignment coupler, a universal joint, and a flexible shaft drive coupling. Such couplings are commercially available through, for example, Guardian Company under the GUARDEX tradename, through KTR company under the ROTEX tradename, or through Rimtec Corporation. The couplings and other parts of the power toothbrush may be coated with silicone, polytetrafluoroethylene, or the like to reduce friction between cooperating parts.
The size of the couplings will vary depending on, for example, the size of the elongate drive shaft, the size of the rotating output shaft, and the size of the toothbrush head.
In one embodiment of the present invention, a stepper motor having an output shaft adapted or controlled to provide oscillatory motion is disposed within the interior cavity of the elongate body. Such motors are commercially available and are known for use in other arts. Stepper motors suitable for use in the present invention include, but are not limited to, those available through Arsape Company, Mototech Incorporated, and Phytron Company. The stepper motor may be a direct drive motor, or may have a built in mechanical torque converter. The stepper motor may have a rotational motion on the output shaft and simple mechanical torque converters that convert the motion of the motor into rotary oscillating motion about the axis of the drive shaft. The axis of rotation of the toothbrush head is coaxial with the handle. The rotation of the toothbrush head is parallel to the surface of the teeth. Useful stepper motors include unipolar and bipolar stepper motors. The stepper motors may have up to 5 phases. The stepper motors may be operated at frequencies ranging from about 5 Hz to about 30 Hz, preferably from about 6 Hz to about 20 Hz. The output shaft of the stepper motor may be made of the same materials as listed for the elongate drive shaft above.
An electronic controller may be provided to control the motor. In embodiments where rechargeable batteries are utilized, the electronic controller regulates re-charging the battery. The electronic controller may also be utilized to control automatic shut off timers or audible signal timers. The electronic controller may be any device known in the electrical art for controlling the flow of power. Such devices include, but are not limited to, integrated circuits, resistors, capacitors, transistors, and zenners or diodes.
The toothbrush head has a multiplicity of bristles. The bristles may be on a flat platform toothbrush head or a toothbrush head having a circular cross-section. Alternatively, the bristles may be radially outwardly projecting from the toothbrush head. The bristle arrangement may include tufts, individually embedded bristles, or combinations thereof. The bristles may have different profiles and different colors. The bristles may be held in place by means known in the art, such as stapling or fusion.
A shroud that partially surrounds the toothbrush head may be utilized. As is known in the art, a shroud may be formed integral with the toothbrush head to enclose a portion of the toothbrush head. Alternatively, the shroud may be molded separately and may be attached to the toothbrush head, for example through a snap on fit. The shroud prevents toothpaste from spraying away during use of the toothbrush. The shroud may also protect the cheeks and gums of the user from undesired contact with the bristles.
The power toothbrush may include a timer with or without an audible signal that the teeth have been brushed for a sufficient time. Alternatively, the timer may provide an automatic shut off for the power toothbrush after the teeth have been brushed for a sufficient time. Means for controlling the timer and automatically shutting off the power toothbrush or providing an audible signal include, but are not limited to, the use of a computer chip, the use of an integrated circuit, the use of transistors, and the use of resistors. The audible signal may be a beep, music, and the like.
The combination of the motor, the elongate drive shaft, and the connecting means provides the toothbrush head with a rotational angular displacement. The angular displacement may range from about 10xc2x0 to about 60xc2x0, for example, from about 30xc2x0 to about 60xc2x0.